Cowboys and Idiots
27 May 2009 | Rendezvous Bay, Monserrat
The Volcano
May 27
Monserrat is an island of contrasts. The most lush vegetation since the DR on our end cheek by jowl with gray devastation south. Seems that every plant is in flower and a perfumed scent wafts over the land and out to our boats. There are four anchored here at 15 feet in sand beneath a cliff populated by goats and large, beautiful, noisy, light blue terns. Can't see how there aren't a few flat billys on the rocks below.
Joe Phillips gave us a six hour tour for $30 each of much of the island not in the exclusion zone. Very voluble, he spent 1/2 of the time going into great detail about the volcano, 1/4 of the time complaining that we weren't listening properly and the rest promoting his tour over everyone else's. He's probably right and it was well worth the experience.
Two Brits, two Canuks and two solo Yanks choked down his beverage of choice on Jackster, an Amel Super Maramu, discussing world events and by turns the foibles of British, Canadians and Americans. Warning! The last are knuckle-dragging, bigoted, trigger-happy rednecks - especially (as everyone knows) the previous president. You few decent folk evacuate while you can. Others faired little better, although, of course, are far less violent. Ours being a relatively small community, everyone had mutual cruising friends whose latest shenanigans could be updated to the others. All four boats headed, probably, to Jolly Harbour, Antigua in the morning.
Jack